PHILADELPHIA — Since taking over as the Eagles’ offensive line coach in 2013, Jeff Stoutland has done a great job of developing late-round draft picks, including turning former rugby player Jordan Mailata into a second-team All-Pro left tackle — and he could find his next gem in the Eagles’ 2025 rookie class. Mailata, who was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round of 2018 NFL Draft, had no formal football experience and was considered an NFL long shot when he entered the league. During his third NFL season, Mailata became the Eagles’ starting left tackle and was one of the best young players at his position. The Australian native has credited Stoutland for his development and success. He won’t be the last late-round offensive lineman to become a star under Stoutland. Philadelphia drafted three offensive linemen on Day 3, starting with Boston College center Drew Kendall in the fifth round and ending with two offensive tackles (Michigan’s Myles Hinton and Texas’ Cameron Williams) in the sixth round. “I love our rookies,” Mailata told reporters on Tuesday. “This is a great rookie class, especially in that O-line room. They work hard. I told Myles, and I told Cameron and I told Drew, ‘I don’t care if you come for my job. If you’re better than me, you’re going to better than me, but I’m going to make it damn hard for you to reach that. But I’m going to bring you along. I’m not going to kick you down.’ I said, ‘That’s not how it runs here. That’s not how we do it. I bring you along because you’ll make me better.’” As a rookie, Mailata was mentored by former Eagles offensive linemen Jason Peters, Chance Warmack, Stefen Wisniewski and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. He also learned from Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson. Their support made him a better player, and he wants to have the same effect on Hinton, Williams and Kendall. Mailata put together the best year of his career in 2024, making it unlikely Hinton or Williams supplants him for a starting job any time soon. But the 28-year-old believes the Eagles’ new offensive tackles can push him to work harder as he gets older. “I don’t want to be complacent,” Mailata said. If I feel someone is chomping at my heels, it’s going to make me run faster.” Williams, who was a one-year starter for Texas, and Hinton, who was a two-year starter at Michigan, could compete to become Johnson’s heir apparent at right tackle. In March, Johnson signed an extension with the Eagles through the 2027 season, and there’s a good chance he finishes out that contract. So, the Eagles will be able to slowly develop Williams and Hinton over the next few years. Williams has great size (6-6, 317 pounds), and Hinton is even bigger at 6-7, 323 pounds. Kendall, who might also compete for snaps at right guard, was a three-year starter for Boston College. “The effort, the grind. A couple days we had to get on them a little bit. I got on them a little bit,” Mailata said. “Now, we’re in the second week together, man, just the effort they put in the drills. When they make a mistake, they correct it the next day. That is showing that someone is coachable. It’s not just the physical side. It’s can they can learn from their mistakes, and can they apply it the next day when we’re doing that drill? Myles and Cam are doing a great job.” Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.